Toggle clamp



17, 1956 G. B. LANGFORD 2,731,288

TOGGLE CLAMP Filed May 7, 1955 1' l0 l 15 T 1 Z INVENTOR.

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United States areas iiice 2,731,288 Patented Jan. 17, 1956 TOGGLE CLAMPGilbert B. Langford, Iintlianapolis, hath, assignor to the United Statesof America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy Application May7, 1953, Serial No. 353,703 6 Claims. (Cl. 292-258) (Granted under Title35, U. S. Code (1952), sec. 266) The invention described herein may bemanufactured and used by or for the Government of the United States ofAmerica for governmental purposes without the payment of any royaltiesthereon or therefor.

The present invention relates to a toggle clamp which is adapted tosecure the closure of a case to the case.

In general such closures have been secured by bolts and nuts which havethe disadvantages that, with use, the threads become damaged therebymaking it diflicult to put on or take-off the nut, and the disadvantagethat the nut or bolt or both may easily become lost.

The objects of this invention are:

To provide a fastening means which is secure and which may be easily andrapidly actuated.

To provide a fastening means easily secured to a case no parts of whichhave to be separated in operation, with the attendant chance for loss.

To provide a clamp device which avoids the chance of damage to threadsby avoiding threaded adjustment in normal operation.

To provide a fastening clamp which is rapid in opera tion.

Other objects and features of the invention will become apparent tothose skilled in the art as the disclosure is made in the followingdetailed description of a preferred embodiment of the invention asillustrated in the accompanying sheet of drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the invention,

Fig. 2 shows the clamp applied as a fastener to the casing, and

Fig. 3 is an end view of the locking link.

The toggle clamp of the present invention comprises a bar member 9 whichconsists of two portions. The first portion 10 is a threaded portion,the other portion 11 is a rectangular portion. Slidably carried upon thethreaded portion is a pivot member 12 which has extensions 27 and 28.The pivot member is adjustably held in position by a nut 13. Attached tothe rectangular portion 11 of the bar is a locking member 15 which ispivoted to the end of the bar 9 by a pivot pin 14. As seen in Fig. 3,the locking member 15 comprises a web member 18 with two upstanding sideportions 16 and 17 which lie, in closed position, on either side of therectangular portion of bar 11. Carried by the sides 16 and 17 areextensions 19. In use, bar 9 and the two side members 16 and 17 andlocking member 15 are bored to receive a safety wire 20 which may takethe form of a safety pin. The above described toggle clamp is designedto be used with a flanged case which has been adapted to receive theclamp members. This adaptation consists of slots 21 and 22 cut into theflanges of the case and the cover respectively as shown in Fig. 2 and ofrecesses 24 and 25 which are cut into the remote faces of the cover andcase flanges.

in operation, the bar 9 passes through the slots in the flanges of thecase and cover with the extensions 27 and 28 engaging in the recess 25in the face of the case flange while the extensions 19 are engaged inthe recesses 24 in the face of the cover that can be readily seen inFig. 2. When the lock member 15 is moved to its locked position thecenter of pressure against extension 19 lies above a line joining thecenter of pressure of the pivot member and the center of the lockingmember pivot 14, thus forming a toggle lock.

It will be noted that, while the nut 13 forms a means of adjusting theclamp for a particular dimension of the case and cover, once thisadjustment is made for the particular usage, the clamp may be operatedwithout effecting the position of the nut. As a further modification,the clamp may have the extensions 27 and 28 flattened on one side as at29 and 31 and which may be provided on the case a flat spring 32 to bearagainst these surfaces to hold the clamp removably attached to the case.

As can readily be seen such a clamp provides a means for securing aclosure to a case which is readily and easily released but it provides asecure fastening.

What is claimed is:

l. A quick release clamp for use with a container and closure havingslotted flanges respectively comprising a straight bar member ofsuitable size to fit the slots of said container and closure, a togglemember having sides pivoted to one end of said bar and constructed toreceive said bar between said sides, said sides carrying laterallyextending cylindrical bearing portions on. the ends thereof which engagethe face of one of said flanges, a bearing member having lateralcylindrical extensions thereon carried by the other end of said bar forengaging a face, said other of flanges, said bar and toggle memberforming a toggle joint when in closed position.

2. A quick release clamp as claimed in claim 1 in which said bar memberhas one end threaded, a nut engaging said threads for selectivelyadjusting the position of the bearing member carried by said bar member.

3. A quick release clamp as claimed in claim 1 in which the containercase and closure have recesses in the flange for cooperation with saidbearing members of the clamp, and a spring member attached at one end tothe container and crossing the recess in the flange of the container,said bearing member carried by said bar member having a flattened sidewhich bears against said spring to releasably retain said bearing memberwhen said bearing member is engaged in said recess.

4-. removable toggle clamp for holding a pair of siotted flangedelements together comprising a straight bar member having alongitudinally adjustable crossmember on one end thereof, a U-shapedtoggle member having laterally aligned extensions on the closed endthereof and being pivotally joined to the other end of said bar membernear the ends of the U-shaped toggle member legs, said closed end ofsaid U-shaped toggle member adapted to engage said bar member in anovercenter relation of said lateral extensions with respect to saidcross-member and said pivot, and means for looking the toggle member tosaid bar member in the overcenter position whereby a pair of slottedflanges can be compressed together by the toggle clamp with saidstraight bar passable through the slot and the crossmember and lateralextensions resting against the flanges.

5. A removable toggle clamp as set forth in claim 4 wire passed throughaligned openings in the toggle and 10 bar members.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS BurnsMar. 8, 1892 Babb Nov. 24, 1914 Cunningham Oct. 6, 1925 Yingling Apr. 8,1930 Kestner Jan. 22, 1952 Gifiord Oct. 14, 1952 "a; K... i

